


I love you like I love my caffeine, dirty and a latte.

by melbopo



Series: Julius's AU! [4]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Professors, M/M, Self-Doubt, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, Valentine's Day Prompt, soft soft soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 08:52:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16740874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melbopo/pseuds/melbopo
Summary: for my valentine's day prompt:magnus/alec + forehead touch





	I love you like I love my caffeine, dirty and a latte.

**Author's Note:**

> the title makes no sense, I know... but once i typed it I couldn't stop laughing and it had to stay. im sorry my sense of humor is legit a JOKE

Alec can not believe that it’s already come to this.

He’s already staring down his first grading all nighter as a newly hired, fresh off the press full time, tenure track professor. Why couldn’t Alec have learned something  _ more _ practically useful at school? Less about torsion breaks happen at a 45 degree angle over the failure point and more about taxes or time management. He guesses that the entire experience as a whole, especially writing his thesis, was supposed to teach him just that but clearly it did him little good as he glares down a stack of 50 or more students’ essays while the clock next to pile glares back 9:42 pm.

It’s the first midterm assignment for Alec’s Introduction to Engineering Principles and he’s teaching it all on his own too. Truly all on his own, not even a teacher’s assistant in sight to help him out with grading or lectures. He’s beginning to understand why it sometimes took his professors so long to return assignments. He wants to reach out and apologize to them now, to say he gets the overwhelming pressure to turn them around in a week but it’s  _ hard _ .

Plus Alec feels like with every essay he reads, he’s getting simultaneously smarter and dumber. Some students clearly read the assignment, paid attention in class, and can tie the two together. Whereas others’ papers read as if the assignment was nearly a suggestion and not the expectation. Everything in between those extremes also exists which is actually were the most problems lie for Alec.

Alec finds it hard not making it personal when some of the assignments just do not capture the course material at  _ all _ . He can’t help but feel like that reflects on him as a teacher, how he communicates the information, and how his students perceive him. Especially when so few of them came to office hours to ask questions or say anything. That’s when self doubt begins to creep in from the back of his mind, making him question his worth and validity to even be in the position that he’s in right now, especially a tenure track position.

He lets out a long groan, resting his head in his hands. He doesn’t have time nor energy for that sort of mental tirade. Regardless, these essays need to be graded and at the end of the semester he can do some internal reevaluation about whether or not becoming a professor is the best long time goal for himself.

Alec rubs at his temple for thirty seconds while breathing out slowly, trying to dispel some of the tension. Its building up so bad that he can feel the prickling start of a stress headache which will absolutely delay him even further. Eventually he raises his head again, shaking out his arms and rolling his neck around to remove any more physical tension that may remain. He makes a quick wish for salvation from the mess that lies ahead in grading and settles back in for what is sure to be a long, long night.  

Alec’s prayers aren’t answered until almost 3 hours later but the sight of Magnus, Alec’s personal angel, entering the office of their house almost makes up for. Okay, Magnus’s carrying what is most likely a caffeinated hot beverage between his hands for Alec which definitely makes up for pretty much anything.

Magnus is still wearing his military peacoat, though unbuttoned, as if he wasted no time after entering the house to seek out Alec. The thought fills him with fondness for his boyfriend, he reaches for the bottom of Magnus’s open coat, pulling him to stand in between Alec’s legs from where he sits at the desk. Once closer, he wraps his arms around Magnus’s hips to give him a makeshift hug while remaining sitting.

“Are you still grading?”

Alec leans back to be able lookup while maintaining his loose hip hug grip on Magnus. Alec raises a single eyebrow that he knows perfectly conveys his thoughts on the matter. He looks from Magnus’s face to the white paper cup in his hand and decides to ignore his ludicrous question, “Is that for me?”

Magnus squints his eyes, challenging Alec back in a playful manner. Magnus cracks first, smiling wide as he hands over the white paper cup. “Yup. Picked up your favorite from the campus cafe before coming home. I had an inkling you’d want some caffeine to survive midterms yourself - happy valentine’s day.”

“A dirty chai latte?!” Alec untangles his arms from Magnus’s body to grasp the cup with two hands. Alec brings the cup to his nose, breathing in deeply to smell the cinnamon and cardamom. When he breathes out, he already feels twenty times less frazzled than he did only minutes before. He looks up at Magnus again while cradling the cup close. “I love you.”

Magnus grins, the creases around his eyes making him look even cuter in Alec’s eyes. “I love you too babe.”

Alec tilts his chin up, pursing his lips slightly. Magnus leans over to answer Alec’s silent demand, kissing him firmly against his lips. It was a little more heated than just a hello peck and the idea of seeing where this could go does greatly appeal to Alec. He parts his lips just a little bit to find out, his attraction kicking up as Magnus bites his top lip.

Suddenly the other part of Magnus’s words come to Alec and he pulls his head away quickly. Magnus’s looks startled and flushed, a beautiful combination on him but that is not the pressing issue at hand. “Wait. Shit. It’s already Valentine’s Day?”

Magnus chuckles, his eyebrows relaxing now that he understands more of Alec’s thinking. “Yeah for about…” Magnus’s voice trails off as he glances at the watch on his wrist, “Thirty four minutes now.”

“Crap. I wanted to wake you up with a blowjob and breakfast in bed for Valentine’s Day.” Alec practically whines as he tosses his head back.

“You still can?”

“Yeah but I wanted to to surprise  _ you _ and wish you a happy valentine’s day first for a change. You always beat me to it every year and I wanted to do something special for our first year living together. But I completely lost track of the days and now I’m going to be up all night, grading these shitty midterm essays cause I’m as bad at being a professor as I am at being a boyfriend cause I can’t surprise my boyfriend first for any holiday or convey simple engineering principles and probably definitely chose the wrong profession.”

All of Alec’s stress just runs out of him, condensing itself into one long, run on sentence that he feels he has little control of. Now that it’s all out there and in the open, Alec just feels exhausted over the grading and the mental gymnastics he’s subjected himself to for the night. His cheeks burn with embarrassment but feeling like Magnus also understands in a way for he always seem to understand Alec, even if he feels like he’s using the wrong language and terms to convey what he truly means.

Magnus’s gaze is fierce and kind, making Alec feel deeply loved by the beautiful man in front of him. Magnus reaches out his hand, cool, metallic rings craze Alec’s scalp as Magnus gently combs his fingers through Alec’s hair. Magnus’s fingers lightly trail under Alec’s jaw before cusping his cheek. “You are so, so far from being a bad boyfriend. I never take it as a bad thing that I always greet you first for holidays or things, I just tend to be the early bird out of the two of us. I understand where you are coming from and I’m sorry that I took away your thunder and chance to wish me a happy valentine’s day first as a special treat. Every day that I get to wake up with you, in our house, is already the most special of treats.”

Alec smiles, his eyes watery from both exhaustion and the warmth that Magnus instills in Alec. He turns his head slightly to kiss the inside of Magnus’s wrist as a silent thank you.

Magnus continues, “And you’re not a bad professor either - you’re just new. Teaching is extremely hard and different for everyone. My first couple of years were my hardest because I was still trying to establish myself and solidify my teaching style. And it was totally okay. I’m still totally okay. You’re going to be okay too and I am willing to help you in anyway that I can, whether it’s looking into other careers or tricks I’ve learned.”

Alec breathes out a huge sigh of relief at his amazing boyfriend’s reassurance. “Thank you love. I really am so grateful for your support. I think we should head to bed and I’ll take a little break from grading. It just feels like so much at once and I have yet to find my footing, but you’re right. I need to be patient for this takes time. Thank you.”

Alec releases one of his hands from the drink in his hand. He overlays his hand on Magnus’s against his jaw. Alec turns his head in again to press another soft kiss there, on the inside of the wrist. Magnus leans forward, returning the gentle kiss with one against Alec’s forehead. Magnus rests his forehead against Alec, both of them taking a moment to just breathe in the quiet, support, and love.

Alec knows he still has about twenty five essays to grade but right now, but now it feels much less daunting of a task. Sometimes all it takes is some kind words, soft kisses, and a gentle forehead touch.

**Author's Note:**

> giving a nod to the colonizing holiday that kinda supports of mass genocide holiday by acknowledging my continued gratitude for all the support systems in my life. especially those who help encourage me to write and be creative and overall, be my best self. hope you too feel grateful for every where you've been and everything that lies ahead!!  
> also if u would like to support native americans and can afford to, you should consider donating to water or electricity projects on native american reservations because they are much much, more likely than any other american demographic to not have access to basic living necessities like [running water](https://www.navajowaterproject.org/give/)!


End file.
